Only in Nashville

How can a major U.S. city flood and few in America even seem to know?  We're talking here about the largest disaster to hit Middle Tennessee since the Civil War.  Does no one care?  

I've seen it suggested that maybe no one cares because there's almost no looting and no violence and that's not exciting enough for a national television story.  There might be a grain of truth there, but I hope not.  I realize that it's important to cover the oil spill in the Gulf and the potential ecological disaster (not to mention the oil that keeps coming, and coming). There is also other important news going on all over the world that people obviously need to know about. I don't think Nashville should be the only thing on the national news...but it should be one of them.

The problem is that if no one understands the extent of the damage and devastation in Tennessee, then people are less likely to donate money to help and people are less likely to come assist with cleanup and rebuilding. 

This was an unprecedented, "500-year" flood.  Most people affected did not have flood insurance because they were not in a flood plain (well, before Sunday, anyway).  There is a water shortage, the structural stability of many roads/bridges is still in question, thousands are homeless and there is a great immediate human need for food, water and shelter.  

We are not panicking here.  We are working.  But we still might need a little help from the rest of the country.

I do realize Nashville is a bit of a punch line for the rest of you who don't live here.  And we don't mind and even kind of enjoy being the funny cousin at the American Family Reunion.  I mean, I personally love Hee Haw and am totally not ashamed to admit it.  Not everyone in Nashville may love that old show, but the goofy, cornball humor is Totally Tennessee. Part of why this is such a great place to live is that we know not to take ourselves too seriously; we know how to laugh at ourselves and with each other.   

Let me tell you what you will find here during this time of catastrophe.  What you will find here are neighbors knocking on doors and asking "What can I do?"  What you will find here is a story about a disaster of massive proportions in a large city that has always felt more like a vast neighborhood.  And this is not just on my street or my side of town, but I'm talking about the entire Metropolitan Area.  If you live in Nashville and I don't know you, you are just a friend I have not yet met.  That's what it feels like to live here.

People who live here respect each other as human beings, all created by God, no matter our race, or creed, or freaking political affiliation.  We are polite and respectful because that's what our mama and daddy taught us and because that's how God calls us to live and because it's a damn nice way to BE with other humans.  We are a city of diversity in many ways.

I've always thought our multifaceted music scene is a perfect metaphor for living here: the rest of the world thinks we're Country, and we are...a lot.  But we are also Rock and Metal and Hip Hop and R&B and Blues and Bluegrass and Big Band and Jazz and Classical.  

We may disagree about things and even argue -- and, honestly, we maybe even cuss a little. We often say our piece, but we respect your right to say yours too.  We're all humans down here, for sure. But at the end of the day, we're neighbors. We sit down on the back porch or meet at a local restaurant that has a patio and we have a beer or a glass of Sweet Tea and talk about the Vols or our gardens our kids instead for a while.  Because that's what neighbors do.  I have always loved living here, but I don't think I realized until this disaster how very, very much I value being a part of this community.  I have never been more inspired by the indomitability of the human spirit than in the last week.   And I read a lot of damn inspirational stories!

Please let's share here the many stories of our neighbors at their best in the face of this disaster.  How many of these could only happen in Nashville?  

One example is the CSA/farm collective, Avalon Acres, who have their own farm down in Hoenwald and also coordinate with many local area Amish to help supply organic fresh vegetables, farm eggs and free-range meats across the mid-state.  They were hammered by this flood, but they have picked up their  1,200 drowned chickens and are still delivering fresh organic food across Middle Tennessee on Sunday.  Now, there are organic farms across the country, but most people are surprised to learn that there is a thriving Amish community here.  

Or how about last night's hastily arranged benefit?  I'm not a celebrity chaser; on the contrary, I eschew celebrity gossip and what I think is the tabloidization of what used to be The News.  I know why a lot of "celebrities" choose to live here -- because while I know they still run into fans, most people wouldn't want to be rude and get in their business and figure they just want to enjoy their dang dinner.   Last night, Nashvillians Keb Mo, Vince Gill, Alison Krauss, Darius Rucker and Naomi Judd, just headed on down to the local news station and sang for their neighbors to help raise more than $1.7 million to help people who have lost their homes.

Or the local charity, Hands on Nashville who is coordinating volunteer efforts and has had a massive response from people looking to volunteer.  I just talked with my husband a week or two ago and we were musing about if Tennessee would still qualify today as "The Volunteer State" -- if we would rally when the need arises as we always have historically.  I think we have our answer after the last week.  

I think Social Networking would play a role in any part of the country, but I do think it's interesting how helpful it is to connect the volunteers with the needy and, hopefully, to get the word out. Twitter and FB are being used both to help tell our story and to rally our community.  Pay It Forward Nashville and We Are Nashville, Nashville  are two, but there are many.  My friend Irene designed a T-shirt to help her 80-yr-old neighbor Wynona (no, not that one), who also didn't have flood insurance.

What are your stories?  Call or e-mail the networks and news outlets and share them!  Or post them here and I will keep sending them on!  We know our story better than anyone.  Let's tell it the way only a Tennessean will.